


Hook me up (on coffee)

by withered



Series: Roses [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Anti Orihime, Coffee, Cops, F/M, Fluff, Officer Ichigo, Officer-kun, Romance, Rukia is a badass, She's the queen we deserve, meet cute, originally posted on FFN
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-16 04:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12335058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withered/pseuds/withered
Summary: Officer Ichigo just wants coffee. Not a date, a stalker, a guy snatching purses or the pretty girl who - you know what, never mind.





	Hook me up (on coffee)

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on ffn as an entry for "Roses by another name".

 

 **Prompt:**  Cops/Coffee

.

Ichigo loved his sisters immensely so it wasn't at all a surprise that he ditched Drunk Tank duty to come to her aid when Yuzu, his youngest sister, called in a fit of homesickness at two in the morning.

Not that he wouldn't willingly ditch the Drunk Tank if he could, but the Captain tended to get supremely pissed off when anyone tried. At least with the reason being Yuzu the old man would go easy on him. For whatever reason, he had a soft spot for damsels in distress.

Renji had followed him out of the precinct pointing the middle finger at him.

Still dressed to the nines in his blue uniform, and pointedly ignoring the purposely disgusting faces his partner was sending him, Ichigo tossed his hat in the backseat of the police cruiser; mentally running through his list of options of what to do to make Yuzu feel better.

She had adjusted well, in his opinion, considering it took a week for her to finally concede defeat and admit she wanted to go home. But she had called him, and that was progress. Karin would have called him from across the country on Yuzu's behalf instead, and dad - Jesus - he'd be on his way right now, and Ichigo would know because the car he left in Karakura on his move was still in his name and  _fuck, I owe how much in speeding tickets?_

The bell jingled overhead in greeting as he pushed the door open to Hisana's, a coffee shop he resolved to take Yuzu to once she was feeling a bit better. The scent of grounded coffee beans and freshly brewed jasmine tea overwhelmed his senses, and he smiled slightly. It smelt a little bit like home.

"Officer, I'm so glad you're here!"

"Yo," he greeted the owner, and the coffee shop's namesake, as he approached the counter. "How's it going?"

With a wave of her hand and a slight shake of her head, Hisana said, "Can't complain, really. What can I do for you? The usual?"

"Oh yeah, that would be great." He'd probably be watching reruns of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and he'd need the caffeine. Digging into his pants' pocket to retrieve his wallet, he added, "And a vanilla bean too, please, if you don't mind?"

"Ooh, meeting someone?" she asked, ringing him up, and casting him a mischievous look.

He snorted. Right. "Nah, Yuzu, the younger one, just started at the university and she's got some homesickness I need to help take care of."

"Aw, aren't you sweet?" He snorted again, glad for the stiff collar of his uniform in successfully hiding his flushed neck. He could never take a compliment, though fortunately, the owner of the coffee shop knew that well enough and charged on, "Speaking of, my younger sister is around too."

Ichigo groaned. "Hisana, we talked about this -"

"I'm not trying to set you up, I promise! I just wanted you to know in case – you know – you run into her, maybe show her around, I don't know," she was quick to say, her attempt to look casual while shrugging failing spectacularly when it almost popped her chandelier earring out.

"How long has she been around exactly?"

"Not long, a month maybe?" she said thoughtfully. At his open mouth – likely to ask why  _she_ hadn't shown her around in the first place – Hisana added, "She's just been working, and that's not healthy! I can't get her to go out, but if she were  _asked out,_   _maybe -"_

"You just said you're not trying to set me up," he pointed out, and behind her, Rangiku, one of the baristas, likely returned from one of her many smoke breaks and still balancing a cigarette between her index and middle finger, laughed.

"She's not, she's setting Rukia up."

"With me," he reminded.

"It's a loophole, super narrow, but still a loophole. Karin Pre-Law taught us that one!" Rangiku declared with a smirk before whining when Hisana snatched the cigarette from her hand and threw it away with a disapproving huff. Turning to him once more, Hisana persisted, "Just meet her, that's all I'm asking!"

"Don't worry, she isn't a troll or anything," Rangiku added with a harder than necessary back-pat for her boss. "I mean, she's related to this short glass of water."

"I'm not that short!"

"Depends on your preferred latitude, darling," she remarked with a wink. "Rukia's a bit taller; though don't expect a supermodel -- I mean, we can't all be Inoue!"

He raised a brow, and at Rangiku's jerky wave in the direction of the window, Ichigo followed her gaze and cringed.

Inoue Orihime, a student from the university that was  _renowned_ for her endowments (and her equally ginormous crush on Ichigo, Rangiku had informed one day), was lingering at the window of the coffee shop, trying to casually look like she  _wasn't_ spying on him.

He shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling of his skin crawling. Inoue was harmless. A little creepy and stalkerish, but harmless nonetheless. "Whatever, can I just get my order now? I've got my own sister to take care of, you know."

Rangiku clapped her hands. "Ooh, are you looking to set her up too?"

The scowl that overcame his expression seemed frightening enough at the suggestion that the strawberry-haired woman only laughed again, seemingly having no sense of self-preservation. "So protective, some would think that's cute."

"Bye Rangiku."

Taking the Styrofoam cups, Ichigo nodded at Hisana. "Thanks."

"So, my sister," she tried once more, and he sighed. There really was no stopping her, though again, not surprising.

Hisana, even before marrying some rich guy, was the poster child for the self-made woman. Ichigo had read the article about her in the town paper on the anniversary of her coffee shop opening. Hisana and her younger sister lost their parents in a car accident when Hisana was twelve, and her sister was two; they were taken in by their grandmother who passed away when Hisana was eighteen, and their grandmother's life insurance helped ensure a meagre living for the two of them thereafter, balancing multiple jobs and studies.

Her coffee shop was the first to open on this side of the university, and she'd stood up to the contractors of big corporations (and won) and kept the delinquents out (then taking them in and getting them off the streets -  _Renji_ had been one of them). "Fine, whatever, we'll see."

Cheering regardless of how unenthusiastic he sounded, Hisana bid him goodbye. As Ichigo prepared himself for the high pitched onslaught of "Officer-kun!", his mood took a decidedly sour turn.

"He's got my purse," Inoue shouted instead, and he didn't think twice before thrusting his drinks into her hands to hold as he chased the perp into a nearby alley.

He managed to chase him through the labyrinth of cramped side roads and back alleys until Ichigo had him trapped in a dead end. "You're under arrest."

"Shit, come on man!" Adjusting the purse's strap in his one hand, the perp outstretched a hand with a knife, as if to ward him off.

"Buddy, you realize you're looking down a barrel of a gun, for a handbag? Just put it down, and this won't get worse than it is."

"Exactly, it's just a handbag," the perp sneered. "You can just call this a loss!"

Ichigo raised a brow. "You aren't exactly in a position to make demands here, so let's just put the knife down."

"You don't even have your gun drawn; you probably don't even have one!" Before Ichigo could blink, the perp moved to try and tackle him, the handbag and the knife cast aside in favour of fists. They grappled for all of twenty seconds before Ichigo had the upper hand again with little more than a slight bruise blooming on his rib, until –

"Officer-kun! Are you okay?"

Losing precious seconds and concentration to look up at Inoue standing in the alley with his drinks and a terrified expression on her face. Which was just long enough time for the perp to punch him solidly in the face and send him staggering back.

The perp shoved Inoue out of the way, coffee spilling everywhere, and made a break for it, leaving behind his bounty as well. Apparently escaping from a cop was more important than whatever was in Inoue's handbag despite the fuss. And as Ichigo managed to get his bearings to give chase once more, the perp yelped before he collapsed in a heap at the mouth of the alley.

"I've been looking for you, asshole." Standing over him, a woman, short and dark-haired glared down at the perp, her own purse dangling on her shoulder as she levelled a small bottle of pepperspray at him like a gun.

"God, what the hell is with you people?" the guy complained, covering his face and moaning.

"You broke my phone trying to rob me a month ago, you jerk," she grumbled. "Don't move so this guy can arrest you, or I'll spray you again. Hands where I can see them."

Finally chancing a glance at Ichigo, he felt almost embarrassingly winded all over again.  _Goddamnit, who had eyes like that_?

"Officer," she greeted with a curt nod, turning her glare back to the man on the floor that she had managed to incapacitate, and from the sheer done-with-your-shit expression on her face, Ichigo had no doubt she'd be able to do it again, pepperspray or not.

He cleared his throat and approached, cuffing the guy easily and hauling him to his feet.

"I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for you, you meddling kid," the perp declared, glaring at the young woman who rolled her eyes.

"Please, what makes you think you're villain enough for a Scooby Doo reference?"

"Hey, you alright?" He remembered to turn and ask Inoue who had followed behind him, looking embarrassed from being shoved aside by the perp in his bid to escape.

"Y-yes, Officer-kun. But I – erm, your coffee, I kind of – dropped them -"

Well, that's just great. "Ah-ano! Maybe I could get you new ones, and maybe uh - join you?"

Ichigo shook his head. Now was seriously not the time for  _that_ conversation. "Its fine, but would you mind coming with me to the station, I'm going to need your statement."

Nodding enthusiastically with her hands clasped at her front, unintentionally emphasizing the size of her breasts, Inoue's momentarily dulled expression brightened considerably once more.

Though, the perp was definitely  _not_ distracted by her face radiating positivity. Ichigo grunted in annoyance and shoved him out the alley. "Okay, that's enough."

"If you don't mind coming with me as well, Miss," Ichigo began once more as he herded the perp back to the police cruiser, followed dutifully by the other woman.

Stepping into the better lit streets, her dark hair practically floated in a halo of inky blue; the strands just touching her shoulder. She looked incredibly familiar...the bone structure, the snow white skin, but he was still feeling a little bit dumbstruck about her eyes, and he shoved the thoughts of her familiarity out of his head.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked, dark brows furrowed.  _Well, you could be if you want to be - **No, shut up, brain.**_

Full sentences, Ichigo. You can do this. "No, I just need your statement."

"Vigilantism is a crime!" the perp shouted as they made their way across to where the police cruiser was parked just outside Hisana's.

"So is stealing people's things," Ichigo retorted. Shoving him into the back of the car, still cuffed, and displeased, he slammed the door shut with a grunt.

"Did you get hurt?" the woman asked, brows still furrowed with a worried lilt at the corner of her mouth.

"He got a few punches in, I'm fine," he dismissed, shaking his head and resisting the urge to rub his neck. Rangiku always teased that that was a "tell" of his, and he had no doubt she was probably watching this whole thing from the window. "You?"

"I had the element of surprise," she replied, flicking a strand of dark hair behind her ear and grinning in triumph.

"You really shouldn't have done that though," he hated to say with a frown, "much as it pains me to admit it, he is right about vigilantism."

She shrugged, short hair bouncing across her shoulders. "Not if you call it revenge."

He snorted. Wow. Guess she believes in narrow loopholes too, her and Karin would get along great. "Well, I'm still going to need you to come with me to the police station to get that statement."

Any lingering tension she felt from having to go to the station was banished with another shrug. "Sure, whatever you say, Officer."

"It's Ichigo," he decided to correct, and a tug at a corner of her lips granted him a reward of a slight smile and  _damn it, who looked like her at two in the morning?_

"I'm Rukia."

Oh.

Oh.

_Oh._

Well, shit.


End file.
